Dems Get Early Start on Breaking Campaign Promises

The Dems have an aggressive plan for the first 100 hours of the new Congress, but they've decided to get an early start on breaking campaign promises:

It was a solemn pledge, repeated by Democratic leaders and candidates over and over: If elected to the majority in Congress, Democrats would implement all of the recommendations of the bipartisan commission that examined the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

But with control of Congress now secured, Democratic leaders have decided for now against implementing the one measure that would affect them most directly: a wholesale reorganization of Congress to improve oversight and funding of the nation's intelligence agencies. Instead, Democratic leaders may create a panel to look at the issue and produce recommendations, according to congressional aides and lawmakers.

Because plans for implementing the commission's recommendations are still fluid, Democratic officials would not speak for the record. But aides on the House and Senate appropriations, armed services and intelligence committees confirmed this week that a reorganization of Congress would not be part of the package of homeland-security changes up for passage in the "first 100 hours" of the Democratic Congress.

"I don't think that suggestion is going anywhere," said Rep. C.W. Bill Young (R-Fla.), the chairman of the Appropriations defense subcommittee and a close ally of the incoming subcommittee chairman, Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.). "That is not going to be their party position."

During the campaign the Dems acted as though the 9/11 Commission Report was handed down on stone tablets from a smoking mountain, and therefore must be followed to the letter. Now that they will be in power, suddenly the congressional reforms offered by the Commission don't look so "sacred".

They say that no battle plan survives the first encounter with the enemy, and likewise no set of campaign promises survives the first post-election caucus meeting.